


Hurting.

by CrowLovesPancakes



Series: Ford Pines and His Apprentice [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, I suck at tagging, Incest, Incest Tag but there is no incest in here or the other fic., Not Beta Read, Out of Character?, Please don't read if you are triggered by incest or other commonly problematic subjects., problematic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27327661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowLovesPancakes/pseuds/CrowLovesPancakes
Summary: Dipper and Mabel say goodbye.
Relationships: Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines, Mabel Pines & Stan Pines
Series: Ford Pines and His Apprentice [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986199
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Hurting.

**Author's Note:**

> This part was a struggle to write, so it may be of worse quality than the work already is. Sorry. :/

“I can’t just go back!” Dipper repeated as if trying to convince himself. When Ford took another step forward, the leaves crunching beneath his foot, his hand reaching out to him. Dipper was a rope, growing taut with every motion, the threads holding him together threatening to split. His world was crumbling, eyes swirling everywhere, judging him for being pathetic, so blind, Ford trying to be sympathetic, though the verdict still remained the same. He knew that.

“What will the choice be, Pine Tree, Me, or back to your ordinary life back in California?” Bill laughed, not at all concerned by the situation. “Come on, I don’t have all day... Wait, I do, carry on.” 

“Stay out of this!” Ford warned, a wave of anger he hadn’t seen before displayed, though when he turned to face him, the anger had melted down, and he just seemed to look worried. ‘He couldn’t be. He wanted to send me back. He... He doesn’t care!’ Dipper reasoned with himself, but his body had betrayed him, hand faltering. “I… can’t. Not after all the questions and the answers. I can’t stop here.”

He forced his hand steady, the blue fire set ablaze from the stony digits, and he looked into it, taking in the way it curled and sparked, beautiful and unpredictable. He wanted to learn so much about the anomalies, about how they worked, of what made them tick. If Dipper had left now, he’d lose memory, and he’d never want to forget this place. “I don’t want to be left behind!” He admitted and reached out to shake the hand.

Or tried to.

Arms wrapped around him, strong and sturdy, and they pulled him back, as much as he tried to resist, the man was far too strong. So, he laid there, at first trying to get out of the arms holding him, and failed, letting out another pathetic sob. The two had laid there a while, letting Dipper let out all of the pain and sadness that had built up over the summer, Ford offering awkward comfort. 

“Oh come on! I was so close!” Bill sighed, Ford, growling in response.

“You have messed with my head enough, Bill. I won’t allow you to harm Dipper the same way you harmed me.” Dipper felt unusually warm, almost preening at the words. ‘Maybe he does care.’ Though tears still dripped down his face, Dipper smiled thinly.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be back again. And when I do, I’ll know just how to make you break, Sixer.” The demon left with a final cackle, the mist surrounding them dissipating, the eyes within the birch trees fading, his influence fading from the land around them, and all they were left with was the stone statue and a vile feeling.  
“Dipper? Are you alright?” Ford had finally asked, and he turned up to look at him, a weak, hesitant smile forming on his lips. “I think so…” He muttered shyly, feeling a little silly and irrational. “I’m sorry, Uncle Ford. I shouldn’t have acted so rashly.”

“No, I’m sorry, Dipper. I should have been careful with what I said. I should have made it clear to you.”

“Made what clear?”

“I was hesitating because I believed you were misguided. That you had said yes, only because at that very moment, I offered it. I wanted you to decide for yourself whether you wanted to join me or not.” 

“Uncle Ford….” Dipper looked down, a little embarrassed. “I’ve never wanted anything more in life. To go around studying the mysteries of this town, with my hero. Its… a dream come true.”

“I’m relieved to hear that, Dipper. I’ve wanted nothing more, but to make sure I could show you the world, safely. I had believed that I never needed someone when I had begun my research. I’ve always felt alone, though I didn’t recognise that at the time. I would never want you to feel like that.” Dipper’s heart had skipped a beat, his words had reached him, a light blush covering his face. He’d look into that later, but for now, he indulged in the comforting company.

-

They had simply sat there, Dipper being comforted by the warm presence of Ford, and the man took some satisfaction in feeling the boy’s breath steady, and when the tears ebbed, he tightened the hug, slightly. Then, Dipper shook his arms, and Ford saw the sun dipping below the horizon. He hadn’t recalled how long they had spent there, though it was time well spent.  
“Let’s go home now.” He stood up and began walking back, though paused when he saw Dipper hadn’t moved. He smiled when Dipper had only taken a few seconds to look back on the statue, before catching up with him. Dipper was strong, stronger than him, to be able to sacrifice so much, that he was glad that he managed to catch Dipper break before he went past the point of no return.

He was going to be fine for now, though he doubts that he had seen the full extent of the damage.

-

Taking in the forest, the scent of the wild, the fresh air, untainted, the dark brown that surrounded them, often hiding the most mystical things just out of sight, though often enough to see the honeydew light pierce through the openings, casting a ray of gold upon the wildlife and occasional gnome. It all felt new, though he had seen this place many times before, he hadn’t really taken the time to look around him, far too busy with what lurked in the woods.  
Arriving at the shack, he knew what that had meant. Mabel was leaving. It was the last day of summer after all. He was going to be staying here, but... Even though he couldn’t give it up, he still felt awful for leaving her alone to face highschool. Though he knew she would make it, after all, she was magnetic, attracting all the best kinds of people with her quirky, fun personality, all his reassurances didn’t make the empty feeling in his heart disappear.

Stepping unto the front porch, he looked up to face his sister, with bags to each of her side and her face flush and red. “It’s gonna be okay, kid.” Grunkle Stan reassured, and Mabel turned around to hug him, sniffling.

“I’m sorry.” It was all he could say to her, unsure of how to respond.

-

“You don’t have to say that, Dipper,” Mabel replied, turning around, though her eyes still loomed over the ground, not facing him. “I’ll be alright. Don’t worry.” She smiled through her unshed tears, her mouth trembling from the effort. Her words did nothing to reassure Dipper and she forced a smile, “Awkward sibling hug?” Watching Dipper’s face light up, made her cheer up a little.

“Yeah. Awkward sibling hug.” Dipper walked up the stairs and they stood there, wrapping their arms around each other. “Pat pat.”

When they had parted, Dipper smiled at her, “I’ll miss you.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Her tears were threatening to fall and she couldn’t let that happen. Letting out a shuddering breath, Dipper stepping aside, she took her luggage and went down the stairs. It was time to face the music, this day had been delayed long enough. They all went towards the bus stop, making idle chit chat, though she couldn’t keep up with it, dwelling on how lonely she would be back home. ‘Dipper deserves this. He’s done so much over the summer,’ She thought, but even then, Dipper choosing science over her still hurt. Much like a deep wound, it would take a while to heal, but when it does, she’ll bounce back. Eventually. 

She hadn’t noticed how long it had been, waiting for the bus, but when it had appeared, it’s mechanical hiss loud and startling, her heart dropped. “I guess it’s time to say goodbye.” She tried to laugh off her sadness, though it didn’t work, and she instead added, “Grunkle Stan, you’re wearing my goodbye sweater!” She hadn’t noticed it before, but Stan wearing it had made this day a little better. 

“Well, it was cold and…” He trailed off, and she cut him off by hugging him, a bittersweet smile on her face, “I’ll miss you, grunkle Stan.”

“Me too, kid.”

Then, another problem came up. Waddles was trying his best to stop her, dragging her clothes back in a wordless, ‘Please stay.’

“Waddles, I can’t… Let go, please…”

“We dealt with this pig for more than a month. I’m sure your parents can handle it.” Grunkle Stan lifted Waddles up unto the bus, the bus driver giving an unsure warning. “Uh, pets aren’t allowed on the bus.”

A quick ‘encouragement,’ had been enough to change the bus driver’s mind, laughing before gesturing to the front row. “You can sit at the front row,” His voice trembling. She smiled, a silent thank you, and with a sigh, stepped unto the bus, looking back with a longing look. “I guess this is goodbye.” 

Dipper averted his eyes from hers, and she saw his eyes glimmer for a brief moment. “Dipper. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.”

The door closed behind her with a breathy and robotic noise, and her heart had shattered. “I guess this is it. Just Mabel and Waddles against the world.”

She sat beside Waddles, hugging the pig tightly, and she looked out the window, at her family, and waved goodbye, the smile on her face the final facade before they had gone out of her sight, her face fell. When the trees of Gravity Falls had become a spec in the distance, stealing a part of her in the process, she shattered, sobbing as quietly as she could, looking out the window, she muttered to herself, bitter, “I didn’t know it would hurt this much.”


End file.
